Latest On the Rams – Patriots London Showdown

On Tuesday, the CVC announced that it had caved to the Rams and will allow the 2012 Patriots game to be played in London. It appears, at this point, that only 2012 is guaranteed rather than 2013 and 2014 as originally announced by the Rams. However, the Rams playing in London for three straight years is very much a possibility.

Unlike the original London announcement, the news broke not by an email from Rams COO Kevin Demoff but by an on-line article in the St. Louis Business Journal. The Rams had nothing to say to fans about this latest development other than a now-typical, cold statement from Demoff: “We are pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with the CVC. We believe playing a game in London will serve as a powerful tool to build our fan base regionally, nationally and globally.”

That statement reinforces the fact I’ve pointed out numerous times that the Rams have no loyalty to their St. Louis fan base. Rams fans are best served by being able to watch their team play all of its home games in St. Louis. While national and global expansion may be great for the business of the Rams, it does nothing for the dedicated St. Louis fan base that has provided unparralelled support for a team that has been the most futile franchise in NFL history during the last five years.

With this latest agreement, the CVC has also sided against Rams fans. The article describes how the CVC will now be able to book conventions during the Rams regular season (peak convention time), so the city of St. Louis will prosper from this. While that is good for the city, it’s terrible for fans. Neither the CVC nor the Rams seem to care that the fans must be the top priority. No other NFL franchise mistreats and disrespects its fan base more that the Rams. It is truly despicable.